UK reports highest daily COVID-19 numbers for more than two months

FILE PHOTO: Crowds of shoppers walk on Oxford Street in London, England. /VCG

The UK on Friday recorded 6,238 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily figure in the country for more than two months since March 25 when 6,397 cases were recorded.

According to government statistics, there were also 11 COVID-19-related deaths.

The daily number of infections represented a significant increase from the 5,274 recorded on Thursday while the death toll was lower than the 18 reported on the same day.

The figures were reported as officials from Public Health England (PHE) warned that the Delta variant had now overtaken the Alpha variant as the most dominant strain in the UK.

Meanwhile, a further 191,266 first and 377,641 second vaccine doses were administered, raising the respective totals to 39,949,694 and 26,799,944.

Earlier in the day, the UK's medicines regulator,the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), announced it had approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds.

The MHRA said the decision was arrived at after a "rigorous review" of safety and effectiveness in that age group adding that the benefits of having the vaccine outweighed the risks.

(With input from agencies)